The veg garden is looking exceptionally woolly and wind-blown at the moment as it subsides gradually into its winter hibernation: good sprouts under them nets though
It’s been November for a whole four weeks now. Season of dreary rain and hat-snatching wind: season of no gardening and damply sloshing wellington boots and mud and dead brown sadly broken stems.
But let’s not get depressed. There are still reasons to be cheerful (honest!):
- I’ve done it! Against all the odds, I have posted every day this month and completed NaBloPoMo, along the way retrieving my blogging mojo and having a thoroughly interesting time
…and the spring cabbages are coming along nicely
- I have handed in the manuscript of my book! At last! Somewhat late but more or less intact. They tell me now comes the difficult bit – bashing it into shape before publication next Easter; but I don’t care. I’m just really, really happy I’ve finished writing it.
The terrace garden… oh dear.
- It’s nearly Christmas! (Don’t care what all you grumpy bumpies say: I love it)
- And it’s nearly the winter solstice! Which means we only have a few more weeks to wait till the evenings get brighter
…but the yellow-stemmed chard is a bit fabulous and still going strong…
- My sprouts are HUGE! The hugest, in fact, I think I’ve ever grown
- I own a piano for the first time in about 20 years. Now all I need is some sheet music.
…and one of my best-ever leek crops is in this bit too
- The sweet rocket is still flowering (even though I couldn’t get a picture of it: you’ll just have to take my word for that one)
- The prickly pear cactus didn’t get frosted even though I left it outside in minus-one temperatures
The back garden sagging slightly under the weight of all that rain…
- I have planted a LOT of tulips
- I am booked in for three slap-up Christmas dinners in the next few weeks. And that doesn’t even count the real one.
…but even on the drabbest of days these two cheer me up. Ewok and Custard, enjoying their winter break eating the hedges and occasionally the lawn (the bit they’re meant to eat)
Sally Nex 
Your leeks looks great. Didn’t grow any leeks this year. Well I didn’t blog every day in November. But I met a few new bloggers.
If you have time stop on in…Coffee is on
Thanks Dora! They’re really good this year – not sure exactly why, must have done something different but no idea what! Always lovely to find new bloggers… and mine’s white no sugar thanks!
Congratulations on handing in your manuscript. Is the shed/office in the photo where you write? I love how high the roof is – plenty of headroom!
Thanks Matt – it’s been a very steep learning curve. I’ll do it different next time 😀 The shed/office is more accurately where I will write – my husband, who’s a garden carpenter, built it for me and it’s finished apart from the electricity. We’re waiting for a break in the weather so we can dig a trench for the cable, then electrician coming over and I should be able to move in! And the headroom is for the loft – our only storage space here so already full of boxes….
Well done on completing NaBloPoMo – it’s a huge achievement. I’ve managed it 3 times previously, not sure if I could now
Thanks VP! you very nearly do a Nablopomo every month by comparison to me anyway so I don’t think you need to cede ground to anyone when it comes to frequency of posts 😀 don’t know how you do it, take my cap off to you.
I am envious of your leeks – mine are still really thin and weedy!
I know…. these ones are particularly good though I never have that much trouble getting them past the thin and weedy stage! Have you checked for leek moth? that’s often the culprit these days…
I saw something on the news the other day that sprouts were generally super big this year due to the warm wet August. I love your sheep and they have such great names. And your small shed is it a writing retreat?
I gave up on NaBloMoPo just got to much for me in top of everything else and the opposite effect on my blogging mojo to yours!
Ah that would explain it… lots of warmth and rain here! And the shed is going to be a writing retreat… once we get the electricity in there 😀
Sorry to hear you didn’t finish NaBloPoMo though, especially since you were the one who got me going on it in the first place! Never mind, there’s always next year…!